Marijuana is being used around the world to treat chronic disorders such as pain, anxiety, depression, inflammatory diseases, and much more.  Well, if you have or know someone who has a chronic disorder, you may also know that these disorders typically do not just go away on their own which makes a lot of medications to treat these health conditions relatively ineffective over time as people get used to the medication. One thing that we know about marijuana, is that it can be used to treat many conditions and is also relatively safe to consume by most people. Although marijuana is a very complex plant and is still being researched every day, we know that tolerance is a real thing. However, did you know that tolerance can be prevented and fixed by rotating strains?

Marijuana strain tolerance and how it develops

The simple answer is that the body becomes used to the potency of a strain or product, and even the chosen manner of consumption. The part of the body affected by cannabinoids like THC and CBD known as the endocannabinoid system, has two main receptors. These are known as CB1 and CB2. THC interacts with CB1 by increasing its activity which forms the euphoric feeling experienced when ingesting cannabis. Your body will seek to establish a balance after consumption by forcing those receptors to return to normal activity even with THC stimulus. Your body does this by reducing the total number of receptors, weakening the receptors, or changing the genetic expression of those receptors to make them react negatively to THC which then allows a tolerance to be formed in the body.

HOW CAN YOU MANAGE YOUR TOLERANCE LEVELS?

Routinely rotating strains and methods of consumption can help to prevent/reduce tolerance as switching strains and consumption methods makes the body unable to acclimate because each method commutes through the body differently. If you notice that the product that once helped relieve some of you symptoms no longer is as effective or effective at all, Try switching to a different strain or route of consumption, such as edibles, concentrates, or tinctures. This will allow you to have a better experience with the new product and you should notice more effects. The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management states, “similar to opioid rotation, rotation of Cannabis is a promising therapeutic option.” However, in my experience the tolerance to Cannabis is far less when compared to the tolerance of an opioid. Switching strains or consumption methods will be more effective than switch from weaker to stronger opioids, as opioids have a cross tolerance with each other that may inhibit a user from feeling effects from a weaker opioid than used to.

How Does This Benefit Medical Marijuana Patients?

Medical patients can benefit from alternating strains/consumption methods as this allows patients to routinely use Cannabis to treat their conditions without the need of going on a tolerance break. Now although a tolerance break may be the only way to reduce the body’s tolerance for some people, routinely switching products can be far more effective compared to medications for the most part. Which allows Cannabis to be used daily and for a longer period of time with less health concerns from long term use.

Why This Works:

In short, you are keeping your body guessing so it cannot establish rules between THC and your body’s receptors. Each cannabinoid has different bonding affinity to the cannabinoid receptors, which will result in different cellular expressions. When multiple cannabinoids are available in abundance, different cannabinoids affect different CB1 receptors throughout the human body.